Serbian powerhouse Partizan Belgrade, only few years removed from its latest EuroLeague Final Four appearance, looks to get back to its days of glory, as it returns to 7DAYS EuroCup after two years away. Partizan had an up-and down season, which resulted in a pair of domestic playoff semifinal appearances. Partizan reached the semis of the Adriatic League, where it was ousted 2-1 in the best-of-three series against Cedevita Zagreb, and was swept in the Serbian League semis by FMP Zeleznik. In the Serbian Cup, Partizan reached the final, but lost to its archrival Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade. The team from the Serbian capital also made a Basketball Champions League appearance last season, but lost in the first elimination round against PAOK Thessaloniki. Now, this club that just recently made three consecutive EuroLeague playoff appearances, and won five straight Adriatic League and 13 consecutive Serbian League crowns, looks to put last season behind it and start its climb back towards contending among the European elite.

Euroleague

SEASON

COMPETITION

RECORD

FINISH

2013-14

Euroleague

7-17

Top 16

2012-13

Euroleague

2-8

Regular Season

2011-12

Euroleague

4-6

Regular Season

2010-11

Euroleague

6-10

Top 16

2009-10

Euroleague

11-11

Final Four

2008-09

Euroleague

9-10

Playoffs

2007-08

Euroleague

11-12

Playoffs

2006-07

Euroleague

8-12

Top 16

2005-06

Euroleague

2-12

Regular Season

2004-05

Euroleague

2-12

Regular Season

2003-04

Euroleague

6-8

Regular Season

2002-03

Euroleague

4-10

Regular Season

2001-02

Euroleague

6-8

Regular Season

TOTAL:

78-134

Eurocup

SEASON

COMPETITION

RECORD

FINISH

2014-15

Eurocup

3-7

Regular Season

TOTAL:

3-7

History

Founded in 1945, Partizan started to make noise in European competitions in the late 1970s, when Dragan Kicanovic and Drazen Dalipagic led the club to consecutive Korac Cup titles in 1978 and 1979. Vlade Divac and Zarko Paspalj helped the club reach the 1988 EuroLeague Final Four and lift the 1989 Korac Cup trophy. In 1992, Partizan won the club's first – and to date only – EuroLeague title by downing DKV Joventut 70-71 on a miraculous buzzer-beater by Sasha Djordjevic, which ranks among the most-amazing shots in basketball history. At home, Partizan remained a dominant force by winning cups and titles at a steady clip, and it returned to the EuroLeague Final Four in 1998, but lost in the semifinals against eventual champion Kinder Bologna. From the turn of the century, Partizan managed to remain fully competitive while developing players, including some of the best big men in European basketball, such as Nikola Pekovic, Aleks Maric, Kosta Perovic, Jan Vesely, Novica Velickovic and Milan Macvan. Before them, Dejan Tomasevic, Nenad Krstic and Predrag Drobnjak all played for Partizan, too. With a fans base that treats the club and basketball like a religion, success turned the club from contender to EuroLeague giant. To the fans’ delight, Partizan registered three consecutive EuroLeague playoff appearances between 2008 and 2010, with the latter being the year in which the club once again reached the EuroLeague Final Four. Maric, Bo McCalebb and Vesely helped Partizan top Maccabi Tel Aviv in the playoffs, and once at the big event, Partizan became the first team to lose both its Final Four games in overtime. Domestically, from the turn of the century Partizan dominated with a run of 13 consecutive Serbian League crowns, five consecutive Serbian Cups from 2008 through 2012, and ruling the Adriatic League with five trophies from 2007 through 2011 and another one in 2013. Its last title came in the Serbian League in 2014, when it topped archrival Crvena Zvezda 3-1 in the finals. In 2014-15, Partizan made its EuroCup debut, but failed to leave a mark and suffered its first title-free season in 14 years. As it underwent a re-build, Partizan did not win any silverware the past two seasons either, but now hopes to end that trend and give an army of fans new reasons for joy.